Identifikationsnummer
C 2301
Edo designations
English designations
Relief Plaque
Categories
Palace Architecture & Ornamentation
Location
1 Adesogbe (Plymouth) Road, P.M.B. 1115, Benin City , Edo State
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Relief Plaque
Relief Plaque
Relief Plaque
Relief Plaque
Relief Plaque
Relief Plaque
Relief Plaque

Iconographies

10 annotations
Uhanbọ & Ifẹnmwẹ
Bow & Arrow

Uhanbọ (bows) and Ifẹnmwẹ (arrows) were produced by members of the Iwifenmwen (guild of archers and manufacturers of poisoned arrows). Arrows, particularly poisoned arrows, were used in warfare. When depicted on Emwin Arhe (royal treasures), Uhanbọ and Ifẹnmwẹ are believed to represent Ake, the deity of archery. According to Aisien (in Plankensteiner 2007, cat. no. 218, p. 438), Ake was an expert marksman who lived during the reign of Ọba Ẹwuare (c. 1440–1473 AD) and is credited with inventing the poisoned arrow used in hunting and warfare.

3 annotations
Uhanbọ & Ifẹnmwẹ
Uhanbọ & Ifẹnmwẹ
Uhanbọ & Ifẹnmwẹ
Ẹrhu
Headwear

Many different kinds of Ẹrhu (headwear) are worn by the various figures depicted in the imagery of Benin royal artefacts. Through comparisons with ceremonial regalia still worn by chiefs and members of the royal court, including the Ọba himself, some Ẹrhu have been used to identify the different figures depicted. For example, the conical hat worn by high-ranking town chiefs as part of the pangolin regalia, still worn at ceremonies, is also visible on figures on some Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn (bronze relief plaques) ( ). Other examples include the distinctive bell-shaped helmet associated with the Iyasẹ ( ). Figures who wear a shallow-brimmed hat and a cross have been identified as Ewua or Ohensa priests ( ).

Different kinds of helmets and headwear were worn by warriors, reflecting the many different ranks and roles in the army at any given time, as well as developing trends that were in turn represented on Emwin Arhe created at different points in time. Warrior figures wearing helmets covered in cowrie shells were carved on the Aken'ni Elao (carved tusks) (Blackmun 1984, p. 330), yet on the brass Ama, warriors are sometimes depicted wearing helmets made from crocodile hide or horsehair with a front plate (Osadolor in Plankensteiner 2007, cat. no. 238, p. 457). Helmets made from horsehair with a front plate are one of the more common types represented on the Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn, and the demand for black horse tails was noted by both Portuguese and British traders during the late 17th and 18th centuries (Osadolor in Plankensteiner 2007, cat. no. 238, p. 457). Other warriors depicted on Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn wear helmets with a rounded top, chinstrap, and sometimes also a feather tucked into the left side. These types of headwear are known as Ẹrhu Iyokuo.

Attire worn for battle also differed from that worn for ceremonial occasions, such as the pointed headwear worn in combination with an ornate leopard-head tunic by war chiefs. Depictions of figures wearing this attire on brass Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn (bronze relief plaques) have been interpreted as representing the war chiefs’ participation in the war-ritual Isiokuo festival (Osadolor in Plankensteiner 2007, cat. no. 238, p. 457).

Another distinctive form of headwear is that worn by figures identified as leopard hunters on the brass Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn (relief plaques). These large helmets cover almost all of the leopard hunters’ faces except for their noses, eyes, and upper lips, and are made of an unusual material that remains unidentifiable (Plankensteiner 2007, cat. nos. 68–69, p. 322).

European figures are also portrayed with distinctive hats, such as Portuguese three-cornered hats. These depictions reflect the artists’ keen observation and highlight the impact of European trade and military assistance (Ezra 1992).

1 annotation
Ẹrhu
Ẹkpẹn
Leopard

The Ẹkpẹn (leopard) is an animal that appears most often among the motifs decorating the Emwin Arhe (royal treasures). The Ẹkpẹn symbolises the valour and strength of the Ọba, as well as his political authority. The Benin people eulogise the Ọba as the ‘ẹkpẹn n'owa’ (leopard of the home).

When a hunter kills a leopard, he must say “ẹkpẹn n'oha” (I killed a bush leopard), as it is taboo to say that a hunter killed a leopard without specifying that it is a bush leopard, as otherwise this would “be tantamount to symbolically killing the king” (Nevadomsky 1988, p. 81). For this reason, leopards of the bush are called Atalakpa to distinguish them from those that represent the Ọba.

2 annotations
Ẹkpẹn
Ẹkpẹn
Water fern
Ebe Amẹ
Water Fern

Ebe Amẹ refers to a wide variety of plants, particularly the leaves of the water fern or river leaf, found in riverine areas of southern Nigeria ( ). Artists from the Igun-Ẹrọnmwọn used these as a decorative motif in the background of most Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn (bronze relief plaques). The petals of the Ebe Amẹ, like the points of the ἀghàdàgháda (crossroads), represent the four cardinal directions: north, east, south, and west. The number four plays a foundational role in the Edo calendar, which is structured around four market days ( ).

1 annotation
Ebe Amẹ
TBC_Iviekpen-member
Leopard Hunter

Members of the Iviekpen, the guild of leopard hunters, are part of the Iwebo palace society. Members of this guild were responsible for the Ọba’s wardrobe and were tasked with hunting and capturing leopards for the Ọba.

Representations of leopard hunters occur most frequently on Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn (bronze relief plaques) dating from the 16th to the mid-17th centuries. They are depicted wearing distinctive helmets made from an unidentified material and carrying bows and arrows. In some representations, leopard hunters carry small leopards, while in others they are accompanied by motifs of bound or captured leopards ( ). On Aken'ni Elao (carved tusks), leopard hunters are depicted only once. argued that this representation is a direct translation of the imagery found on the Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn.

2 annotations
TBC_Iviekpen-member
TBC_Iviekpen-member
Ẹgba
Armlet

Ẹgba is a protective charm armlet worn by both male and female in Benin kingdom. It is worn around the upper arm. On special occasion the Ifieto guild holds an egba each during procession as the match ahead of the Oba as his guards. Egba is made from bronze and iron, it is used for protection by those who wear it. most egba have various patterns and iconography.

1 annotation
Ẹgba

Provenance

6 events
Production
1504 (approximate) to 1550 (approximate)
The object was produced by Unknown member(s) of the Igun-Ẹrọnmwọn guild in Benin City.
Looted
February 22, 1897 (day approximate) to June 1899 (year approximate)
The object was looted by February 1897 Unknown member of the British colonial military campaign on Benin from Benin Kingdom.
Unknown
January 1898 to July 1898
The object is known to have come into contact with Friedrich Erdmann, in Benin City.
Transfer
July 1898 (year approximate)
The object was transferred from Friedrich Erdmann through Bey & Co. from Benin City to Hamburg.
Purchase
July 1898 (year approximate) to December 1898
The object was purchased by the MARKK Museum am Rothenbaum Kulturen und Künste der Welt from Bey & Co. in Hamburg.
Restitution
December 16, 2022
The object was restituted by the MARKK Museum am Rothenbaum Kulturen und Künste der Welt to the Omo n'Oba n'Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Ọba of Benin & National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Nigeria through Carsten Brosda, S.E. Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, Abba Isa Tijani and Barbara Plankensteiner from Hamburg to Nigeria.

Related archival documents

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Date

Institution data

MARKK Museum am Rothenbaum Kulturen und Künste der Welt
The data was transferred directly by the institution.
Last updated: 2022-06-10
Languages: german, english
Institution fieldValue
Identifikationsnummer
object id
C 2301
Titel
designation
Reliefplatte mit zwei Leopardenjägern
Materialien
material
ANORGANISCH/Metall/Gelbguß
Heutiges Staatsgebiet des Herstellungsortes
production place
Afrika/Westafrika/Nigeria/Benin-Reich
Provenienz/Name
prior source
provenance
Erdmann
Provenienz Objektitinerar Akteure Orte Daten
provenance
Friedrich Erdmann
Provenienz/Affiliation
provenance
H. Bey & Co., Bey & Zimmer
Provenienz/Country
provenance
Germany
Provenienz/Date of Birth
provenance
23.10.1866
Provenienz/Date of Death
provenance
presumably 1907
Provenienz/First Name
provenance
Friedrich
Provenienz/No
provenance
10
Provenienz/Place of Birth
provenance
Altona (today Hamburg)
Provenienz/Place of Death
provenance
presumably South Africa
Provenienz/Profession
provenance
Merchant
Provenienz/Role-Function/0
provenance
Consignor
Provenienz/Role-Function/1
provenance
Collector
Provenienz/Sex
provenance
male
Provenienz/Short Biography
provenance
Friedrich Erdmann (1866-presumably 1907) was a merchant from Hamburg and worked as a managing director for the trading company Bey & Zimmer in Lagos, Warri and Sapele in southern Nigeria. Erdmann is known to have visited Benin City after it was conquered by British troops, taking the artefacts that remained there to sell with the permission of the British military, as well as photographing the area. Erdmann was one of the key figures in Bey’s Benin business, selling a total of 13 objects from the Kingdom of Benin to the museum in 1898. His widow, Alma, corresponded with Felix von Luschan (1854–1924) in Berlin, and later sold objects from her husband’s collection. His son Kurt (1901–1964) was an art historian; he also sold pieces from his father’s estate.
Provenienz/Street
provenance
Große Bäckerstraße 24
Provenienz/Town
provenance
Hamburg
Hersteller kulturhist. Herkunftsgesellschaft
ethnic attribution
--/Edo
Heutiger Aufbewahrungsort Sammlung
department and institution
Museum am Rothenbaum. Kulturen und Künste der Welt (MARKK)
Akquisitionsdatum
accession date
1898
Alte Inventarnummer
Inventurdatum
16.12.2009
Label Text (deu)
Reliefplatte mit zwei Leopardenjägern Unbekannte Werkstatt der Bronzegießergilde Igun Eronmwon / Königreich Benin, Nigeria, 16./17. Jh. / Gelbguss / Ankauf von Friedrich Erdmann, 1898, Inv. Nr. C 2301 Leopardenjäger waren in einer königlichen Gilde organisiert. In den Händen halten sie Bogen und Pfeilbündel, an den linken Handgelenken ist ein beutelartiger Sehnenschutz erkennbar. Ihre Aufgabe war es, lebende Leoparden zu fangen, die entweder gezähmt am Hof gehalten oder bei den alljährlichen Festen vom König geopfert wurden.
Label Text (eng)
Relief Plaque with two Leopard Hunters Unidentified workshop of the Bronze Casters Guild Igun Eronmwon / Benin Kingdom, Nigeria, 16th/17th century / Brass / Acquired from Friedrich Erdmann, 1898, Inv. no. C 2301 Leopard hunters were organized in a royal guild. They are holding bows and bundles of arrows in their hands, and on their left wrists a pouch-like string protection is visible. Their duty was to capture leopards alive which were either tamed and kept at the court or sacrificed by the king at the annual festivals.
Maße
Länge: 50,00 cm; Breite: 37,00 cm; Tiefe: 12,00 cm; Gewicht: 24,50 kg
Sensitive Content

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